Doorknob



DOORKNOB Filed Aug. 15, 1955 iz/f Patented Oct. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOORKNOB Application August 15, 1935, Serial No. 36,245

2 Claims.

This invention relates to door knobs or handles and more particularly to the means for securing the knob to the knob shank.

It is often desirable to make door knobs, and

particularly those for inside doors, of some ornamental material such as porcelain, glass, Bakelite, or some material other than metal. As the knob shank is preferably made of metal and.

usually a non-corrosive metal, such as brass, for

example, the knob and shank cannot be made in one piece if the former is of a material other than metal. It is therefore necessary to provide some means for securing the knob to the shank and this must be done without rendering the knob liable to breakage or damage. At the same time the connection must be a non-rotatable and secure one so that the lock or latch to which the knob is attached may be operated by the knob Without the latter becoming loose.

One object of my invention is the provision of novel means for securing a knob shank to a door knob.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for securing a knob shank to a door knob such that the shank will be non-rotatably secured to the knob without any play or lost motion therebetween.

A further object of the invention is to provision of novel means for securing a knob shank to a door knob such that the securing means may be readily put into place or be accessible for removal, and at the same time permit the spindle of the door lock or latch to be adjustable over a considerable range.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a door knob of ornamental material having a knob shank secured to the inner face thereof and an ornamental plate at its outer face, the plate being provided with a socket to receive 4 a securing member connected to the shank so that the knob is clamped between the shank and ornamental plate, whereby the latter acts as a retaining member to hold the knob and shank in proper relation to each other.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

50 Fig. l is an elevational view of a door having a knob secured thereto embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is an edge elevational View of the door; Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the knob and 55 knob shank on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

(Cl. 292-347) a Fig. 4 is an end face view of the ornamental plate on the outside of the door knob;

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the outer face of the door knob when the plate shown in Fig. 4 has been removed; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the knob shank looking .toward the face thereof attached to the door knob.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, I have shown in the drawing a portion 10 of a door It provided with a latch case l I having the usual latch bolt I2 designed to beoperated by the knobs l3 secured at the outer ends of the knob shanks M.

It will be understood that, as shown in Fig. 3, 15 the knob shanks it are provided with the usual cylindrical internally threaded openings 15 to receive a threaded spindle It. The spindle is provided with flattened sides, as shown in Fig. 3, and when the knob shank has been screwed upon the Q0 spindle to the proper position, a setscrew I! in the M shank may be set up against one of the flat sides of the spindle Hi to prevent rotation of the shank upon the spindle when the knob is rotated to retract the door latch.

As has already been stated, the shank I4 is usually made of a non-corrosive metal such as brass. In this instance the knob I3 is formed of a material other than metal and may be of porcelain, glass or Bakelite, or some material which can be readily molded into the proper shape.

As shown, the knob is circular in transverse cross section and is provided with a central opening l8 of non-circular cross section. This opening is shown as square in this instance. On its 5 inner face the knob is recessed or countersunk, as shown at [9, and also recessed or countersunk upon its outer face, as shown at 20, both recesses communicating with the non-circular opening I8.

The shank I4 is provided with a shoulder 2| to abut the inner face of the knob and may be provided with an extending portion 22 beyond this shoulder to enter the recess I9 in the knob. In this instance the portion 22 and recess are both of circular shape. Upon its end face, as shown in Fig. 6, a non-circular boss 23 is provided upon the shank, this boss being of proper size and shape to fit snugly within the non-circular opening l8 through the knob. The boss 23 is provided with a central opening 24 which communicates at its inner end with the opening 15 which receives the spindle l6. In other words, the opening 24 is at the bottom of the spindle opening I5.

A retaining member 25 in the form of an ornaf mental' plate or the like may be provided at the outerface of thelknob'and' formed of a proper size and shape to fit within 'therecess 20." This 7 ornamental plate 25 is also provided with a noncircular boss .26 upon its rear-face which enters and snugly fits Within theop'ening I78 throughthe knob. 'I'he'boss 2 6 is provided with athreaded opening '21 to receive the threaded endof a screw 28 which. may be inserted through the opening 24 in the'boss 23. 'It will be: understood a 7 that the headof the screw'is of sufiicientsize so that it will not pass through the opening 24, but

is small enough to be readi1y;,received.'in the K spindle opening IS sorthatlthe screw may be in:

serted'through this opening.

7 In assemblingthe parts,.the plate 25 is placed' ,in position at one "side'of the knob and the 'shan k" I 4 placed in position at the other s ide thereofi'with the bosses '23 and 26 inserted Within the non-circularknob opening18.? The screw 28 a is then dropped into, the spindle opening: 1 5 and through the opening {2 4 in thefbos'sfil ?By rmea'nsyof the ordinary-screw driver the screw -may then be serewed into the boss 26' and it --will1betseen that the knob is clamped between the plate 25 and the shoulder 2 l I upon the knob shank. IfQdesired of coursethis shoulder may be so located with respect to the end of theshank that 'the end'su'rf'ace of thelatter will bottom in V 'therecessf I9. In such casefof course the knob, I would be clamped between this face-of the shank and the iace'of the plate 25., 'In-any event, the

knob, will be securely'fixed to'th'e shank and'due "to the close fitting offthe non-circularilngs' 23 and 26 within the opening 18 there Will be no. play betweenthe' parts. l The plate '25 canj of course, be made perfectly plainif clesired, or it can be made with an ornamentalconfiguratio'n so as "toenhance itself; a

l Itwill also benoted that' warhead ofgthe, screw 28 is contained substantially entir'ely wi'th in the" boss 23," sothat it does not interfere to any appreciable extent with the length of the spindle opening l5, thereby givingto the-spindle Hi the-usual range the appearance l of the knob ordinary lock.

embodiment of my invention, it will 'be under stood that it is not to be limited to all of the de-' While I have shown and described a. preferred:

of adjustment present in the tails shown, but is capableof modif cationand variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claims. V What I cl'a'imis: I r

1. In a door knob,'a knob Vmernber having a nch-circular opening therethrough of uniform Y oommunieating with the interior of said hollow extension, asecuring member, having an enlarged head, disposed in said extension and havingja cross section, .a knobshank having a relatively long body portionabutting at one end one face Zofflthefknob vmember, a relatively short'hollow' extension on safid abutting end enteringand nonrotatabIy-fengagingIthe'knob member opening, said body portion havingjaspindle-receiving bore".

V portion proje'cting into saidiopeningiand .aare- V is connected;

' face portion or the shanhmember substantially in line and' communicatingwith the spin'dle bore; 1 ,f and disposed inthe non-circular opening of the? knob body to preventrelative rotation between the parts; and a' fastening. memberpassing throughahole in said'projection into saidretain- 'ing member to secure the parts together, said fastening member lying substantially beyondthe FRANK body portion of the shank member.

13. GEnARn. I, 

